Toy bank with indicator means



Aug. 14, 1956 T. TORMEY TOY BANK WITH INDICATOR MEANS Filed July 17, 1953 v w awn/1m v INVENTOR 7710414; 70244623 United States Patent TOY BANK WITH INDICATOR MEANS Thomas Tormey, New York, N. Y.

Application July 17, 1953, Serial No. 368,626

4 Claims. (Cl. 463') The present invention relates to toy banks in general and to such toy banks which include a figure approaching the toy bank in predetermined manner in particular.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a toy bank which substantially comprises a container adapted to receive the coins and a figure, as an animal figure, which is disposed adjacent the container if the latter is empty and which increases the distance from the con ta'mer the more coins are inserted into the container.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy bank which features the saying A Wolf at the Door of the House and comprises substantially a house-shaped container having a coin slot at its top in the chimney structure, and in which container a platform is resiliently supported, so that the weight of the coins which fall onto the platform through the coin slot will lower against the action of a spring, and which platform is connected with an animal figure disposed outside the building, which animal figure is moved away from the building during the downward movement of the platform in the container.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toy bank which comprises the combination of a toy bank in the form of a building and an animal figure disposed outside of the building with means for moving away the animal figure from the building the more coins are inserted into the building.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toy bank comprising a building-like container and an animal figure outside of the container, together with means for moving away the animal figure from the building upon insertion of coins into the building, which is of simple structure and of a minimum number of parts.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective top view of the toy bank;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the lines 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a section along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section along the lines 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section along the lines 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section similar to that of Fig. 4, showing a second embodiment for the resilient support of the platform.

Referring now to the drawing and in particular to Figs. 1 to 5, the toy bank comprises a container 1 formed in the shape of a building and having a front wall 2, a rear wall 3, and side walls 4. The container 1 is closed up at its top by a roof-like cover 5, one portion of the center of the cover being shaped as a chimney-like structure 6. The latter is equipped with a crosswise disposed slot 7 for the purpose of inserting coins into the container 1. In order to permit of easy removal of the coins inserted in the container 1, the roof-like cover 5 is made removable by any suitable means (not shown).

A platform 8 is disposed in the container 1 for vertical movement therein, which platform substantially conforms to the inner cross-section of the container 1. The platform 8 has prefereably two recesses 9 disposed at its front and at its rear edge, which recesses are adapted to receive vertically disposed ribs 10 extending from the inner faces of the front wall 2 and the rear wall 3, which ribs 10 are received by the recesses 9 of the platform 8 and which ribs serve as guides for the platform 8 during its vertical movement.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 preferably two vertical helical springs 11 are disposed between the bottom of the platform 8 and the bottom wall 12 of the container 1. The springs 11 serve the purpose to maintain normally the platform 8, when unweighted, in its uppermost position. The springs 11 are more and more compressed upon inserting of coins 13 through the slot 7 into the container 1, which coins fall onto the platform 8 which slowly moves in downward direction against the force of the springs, the more coins are inserted into the container onto the platform 8. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing in dotted lines, the platform 8 reaches finally its lowermost position due to the weight of the great number of coins in which the springs 11 assume their completely compressed position.

The bottom wall 12 of the container 1 extends forwardly to a front wall 14 of short height, to define a hollow base body 15 which has side walls 16 extending forward from the side walls 4 of the container 1 and a top wall 17 to cover the hollow base body 15. The width of the hollow base body 15 is preferably equal to that of the container 1 and the latter communicates with the hollow base body 15 by extending the front wall 2 of the container 1 merely down to the top wall 17 of the hollow base body 15. A flat elastic metal band 18 is secured to the bottom face of the platform 8 by inserting one end of the metal band 18 into a projection 19 of the platform 8, though any other suitable securing means may be provided. The metal band 18 extends downwardly from the bottom face of the platform 8 and is bent in forward direction adjacent the bottom wall 12 of the container 1 to extend forwardly in the hollow base body 15. A sliding member 21, adapted to slide in the slot 20 of the top wall 17, comprises a narrow center portion 22 which is of a diameter or width slightly smaller than the width of the slot 20, a top disk portion 23 and a bottom portion 24 which is of greater width than that of the slot 26. The disk portion 23 carries an animal figure 25, by example, a wolf figure, permanently secured thereto. Thus, the sliding member 21 is permitted to perform longitudinal movement in the hollow base body 15 together with the lowering movement of the platform 8. The sliding member 21 is mounted onto the hollow base body 15 in such manner that it is inserted from the front end thereof by pushing the platform 8 into its lowest position in the container 1.

The toy bank will perform in such manner that when the container 1 is empty the platform will be pressed by means of the springs 11 into its uppermost position, where the wolf figure will be closest to the house. "vVith each coin inserted, the weight of the coin will step-wise lower the platform 8 against the force of the springs 11 and each such lowering step of the platform 8 moves the wolf figure more away from the house. As shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines the Wolf figure is farthest away from the house when the platform is in its lowest position. Upon removal of the coins, the springs 11 will automatically return the platform 8 into its uppermost position and since the wolf figure is operatively connected to the platform 8 by means of the elastic metal band 18, the wolf figure will likewise return to its most adjacent position to the house.

While the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5 disclose compression springs disposed below the platform 8, the embodiment shown in Fig. 6 is substantially identical with that of the first-described embodiment, the only distinction being in the arrangement of expansion springs 11' disposed above the platform 8 which function in a similar manner as the compression springs 11. For this purpose the container has projections 11 which extend inwardly from its side walls near the top end thereof and in which the resilient means for supporting the platform comprises at least the two expansion springs 11 disposed between the top face of the platform and the projections. That means, that the platform will be lowered in correspondence with the weight exerted thereon by the coins inserted in the container which will expand the springs 11', and the metal band 18', one end of which is secured to the projection 19 extending from the under face of the platform 8', will likewise be lowered together with the platform 8' and, thereby, push the wolf figure in forward direction in the hollow base body and move the wolf figure away from the house.

While I have disclosed two embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. In a toy bank a container having a cover on its top end, a slot in said cover and a hollow base body extending forwardly substantially in horizontal direction from the said container adjacent its bottom and communicating with the latter, a horizontally disposed platform mounted in the said container for vertical movement therein, resilient means disposed in the said container and tending to maintain the said platform in its uppermost position in the said container, an elastic metal band, one end of the said elastic metal band being secured to the underface of the said platform, the other end of the said elastic metal band carrying a sliding member, the said elastic metal band being adapted to extend through the said container and through the said hollow base body providing connecting means between the said platform and the said sliding member, the said hollow base body having a longitudinally disposed slot at its top, the said slot being adapted to form a guide for the said sliding member during its movement to and from the said container, the said sliding member extending through the said slot of the said hollow base body and carrying a figure, the said platform being lowered in the said container, upon insertion of coins through the said slot of the said cover, against the force of the said resilient means, and, thereby, moving away the said figure from the said container.

2. In a toy bank a container having a cover on its top end, a slot in said cover and a hollow base body extending forwardly substantially in horizontal direction from the said container adjacent its bottom and communicating with the latter, a platform mounted in the said container for vertical movement therein, resilient means disposed in the said container and tending to maintain the said platform in its uppermost position in the said container, an elastic metal band, one end of the said elastic metal band being secured to the underface of the said platform, the other end of the said elastic metal band carrying a sliding member, the said elastic metal band being adapted to extend through the said container and through the said hollow base body providing connecting means between the said platform and the said sliding member, the said hollow base body having a longitudinally disposed slot at its top, the said slot being adapted to form a guide for the said sliding member during its movement to and from the said container, the said sliding member extending through the said slot of the said hollow base body and carrying a figure, the said platform being lowered in the said container, upon insertion of coins through the said slot of the said cover, against the force of the said resilient means, and, thereby, moving away the said figure from the said container, the said container having projections extending inwardly from its side walls near the top end thereof, and the said re silient means for supporting the platform comprising at least two expansion springs disposed between the top face of the said platform and the said respective projections.

3. In a toy bank a container having a cover on its top end, a slot in said cover and a hollow base body extending forwardly substantially in horizontal direction from the said container adjacent its bottom and communicating with the latter, a platform mounted in the said container for vertical movement therein, resilient means disposed in the said container and tending to maintain the said platform in its uppermost position in the said container, an elastic metal hand, one end of the said elastic metal band being secured to the underface of the said platform, the other end of the said elastic metal band carrying a sliding member, the said elastic metal band being adapted to extend through the said container and through the said hollow base body providing connecting means between the said platform and the said sliding member, the said hollow base body having a longitudinally disposed slot at its top, the said slot being adapted to form a guide for the said sliding member during its movement to and from the said container, the said sliding member extending through the said slot of the said hollow base body and carrying a figure, the said platform being lowered in the said container, upon insertion of coins through the said slot of the said cover, against the force of the said resilient means, and, thereby, moving away the said figure from the said container, the side walls of the said container having on the inner face vertically disposed guide means and the said platform having complementary recesses to receive the said guide means in order to assure proper vertical movement of the said platform.

4. In a toy bank a container having a cover on its top end, a slot in said cover and a hollow base body extending forwardly substantially in horizontal direction from the said container adjacent its bottom and communicating with the latter, a platform mounted in the said container for vertical movement therein, resilient means disposed in the said container and tending to maintain the said platform in its uppermost position in the said container, an elastic metal hand, one end of the said elastic metal band being secured to the underface of the said platform, the other end of the said elastic metal band carrying a sliding member, the said elastic metal band being adapted to extend through the said container and through the said hollow base body providing connecting means be tween the said platform and the said sliding member, the said hollow base body having a longitudinally disposed slot at its top, the said slot being adapted to form a guide for the said sliding member during its movement to and from the said container, the said sliding member extending through the said slot of the said hollow base body and carrying a figure, the said platform being lowered in the said container, upon insertion of coins through the said slot of the said cover, against the force of the said resilient means, and, thereby, moving away the said figthe from the said container, the said sliding member, carrying the said figure, secured to the said other end of the said elastic metal band comprising a narrow portion of a width slightly narrower than that of the said slot in the said hollow base body, a lower widened portion and an upper disk portion, and the latter carrying the said figure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,158 Nelson Aug. 11, 1911 2,436,604 Robert Feb. 24, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 33,772 Australia July 25, 1908 

